This invention relates to real-time video data analysis, and more particularly to a pipelined neighborhood comparison operation for analysis of video pixels. This analysis may be used in a variety of ways to achieve dynamic data enhancement. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,788 for examples.
A pipelined processor for making comparisons between the values of a pixel and its adjacent pixels (neighbors) to find in the video image peaks, ridges, valleys, and the like, should be able to handle a data stream in real time. A limitation of such a processor is the need for conversion of the comparison results into arbitrary (programmed) information in under-microsecond cycle times, and a limitation of such a conversion implemented as a look-up table stored in memory is the cycle time of the memory.